


Winning Strategy

by starrwinter



Category: Free!
Genre: Eternal Summer episode 10 spoilers, M/M, Rin's strategies
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-09-03
Updated: 2014-09-03
Packaged: 2018-02-16 01:54:02
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 615
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2251485
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/starrwinter/pseuds/starrwinter
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>****Note: Free! Eternal Summer - episode 10 spoilers...******</p>
<p>First thought that popped into my head after the episode, and just had to get it out and let it live. First Free! based fic!</p>
            </blockquote>





	Winning Strategy

Rin watched Sousuke reach with his final stroke into the wall. With one last strong butterfly kick of propulsion to extend his arms, and grab the target.

Muscles and breath fully spent, shoulders aching from the strain; but he had done it. Sousuke had completed his 100 meters as promised and was brought back into the light seeing a 'sight he had never seen before.' It made the task that Rin had to complete next that much harder.

He watched Haru in his peripheral vision dive off the starting block a fraction of a second before he lunged for the waters surface and bite.

Iwatobi's starts and exchanges had become cleaner and quicker, a well oiled machine shifting from one gear to the next through each new swimmer to enter the water.

Rin extended his arms while streamlining his body for entry at the water's surface. Powerful dolphin kicks brought him from an underwater dive to the start of his freestyle strokes.

He could see Haru on his right, briefly ahead racing towards the turn at the wall.

Breath, bubbles, pull, rhythmic kick with increasing momentum, pull, breath on the other side... the steady pattern of fighting against the water's teeth towards the wall.

Rin could hear the cheering of his team mates when his head rolled to the side to take in a quick breath of air, keeping a wary eye on Haru in the process... but not to see if he was winning.

'Keep up your pace... make it seem real...' he thought gradually speeding up as they headed towards the wall in the last stretch of the race. It would be close... but he could do it. Lungs burning, legs aching, stomach clenching as the final few strokes came into play before the end of the race.

Rin spotted the flags at the 5 meter mark, normally used for backstroke turns to judge the number of strokes remaining before needing to complete a turn at the wall. He used these everyday to time both his front crawl and butterfly stokes into the wall. The perfect timing of your final breaths mixed with the right amount of glide and momentum could win, or lose you the race.

He had his stroke count down to a science and started counting off the remaining number in his head, 5... 4... 3... 2... 1... and then added an extra stroke before gliding powerfully into the finish. 

Rin had his timing just right... Samezuka Academy flashed up on the timing boards in second place behind Iwatobi by mere hundredths of a second. No one would notice his falter or miscalculation, but it was all part of his plan.

With Sousuke's shoulder injury, there was no chance Samezuka would have fared well at Nationals with no one on the team coming close to his time besides Rin himself, and strong freestyle swimmers up to the high caliber needed were not currently on the team in reserve.

His team had swam with their all, and if anyone needed the victory it was Iwatobi. Haru needed to taste victory again with his friends. He needed to be reminded of his dreams and goals, even if he wasn't 100% sure of what he wanted yet.

Rin didn't want to see the light crushed out of Haru's eyes that he could no longer swim with his team mates. It was time to repay the favor Iwatobi had gifted him with all those months ago when he wanted to give in, give up and move on. Makoto... Nagisa... Rei... Haru.

Because Haru losing his will to swim competitively with Rin as a rival, and as part of his team was not an option.


End file.
